A Guide to the R. L. Moore Papers, 1875,
1891-1975

R. L. Moore
(1882-1974), a prominent mathematician, was a professor of mathematics at The
University of Texas at Austin for almost fifty years. The R. L. Moore Papers,
1875-1975, consist of correspondence, research notebooks, drafts, teaching
material, mathematical notes, printed material, photographs and other material
documenting the life and career of Moore.

Robert Lee Moore (1882-1974), a prominent mathematician, was a
professor of mathematics at The University of Texas at Austin for almost fifty
years. He is well known for his work in point-set topology, but is most
remembered for his work as an educator. During his long career, Moore
supervised over fifty doctoral students, including three members of the
National Academy of Sciences, three presidents of the American Mathematical
Society and four presidents of the Mathematical Association of America.

Moore was born November 14, 1882, in Dallas, Texas, the fifth child of
Charles Jonathan and Louisa Ann Moore. He developed an interest in mathematics
early in life, teaching himself out of a calculus textbook before entering The
University of Texas in 1898 at the age of sixteen. There he studied under
George Bruce Halsted, simultaneously earning a B.S. and M.A. in 1901. After
graduating, Moore spent a year as a Fellow in mathematics at UT and taught an
analytic geometry course. During his fellowship, Moore discovered a redundancy
in Hilbert's formulation of a set of axioms for geometry; this redundancy,
unbeknownst to Moore, had already been published earlier that year by E. H.
Moore (no relation) of the University of Chicago. Nonetheless, R. L. Moore's
version of the redundancy was "elegant" and an important early achievement in
his career.

After teaching high school mathematics in Marshall, Texas, for a year
(1902-1903), Moore was accepted in the mathematics program at the University of
Chicago. He completed his doctorate in two years under the direction of E. H.
Moore and Oswald Veblen, graduating in 1905 with a thesis entitled "Sets of
Metrical Hypotheses for Geometry." From 1905 until returning to the University
of Texas in 1920, Moore held teaching posts at several universities: University
of Tennessee at Knoxville (1905-1906), Princeton University (1906-1908),
Northwestern University (1908-1911) and the University of Pennsylvania at
Philadelphia (1911-1920). In Pennsylvania, Moore supervised three Ph.D.
students: John R. Kline, George H. Hallett, and Anna M. Mullikin.

In 1920, Milton Brockett Porter, head of the pure mathematics
department at The University of Texas, recruited Moore away from the University
of Pennsylvania. Moore joined E. L. Dodd and H. J. Ettlinger on the faculty,
which was soon augmented by H. S. Vandiver. He served on the faculty until he
was forced to retire in 1969 at the age of 86. Moore had a major influence on
the culture of pure mathematics at UT, both in his personality and his teaching
style.

Moore regularly taught undergraduate calculus and pre-calculus courses
in addition to his more advanced classes. In his advanced classes, Moore's way
of teaching, known as the "Moore Method" or the "Texas Method" began with the
careful selection of students who did not have an extensive knowledge about the
topic to be discussed. He would then give the students some basic axioms and
definitions and ask them to construct proofs and examples for different
theorems. The students were not allowed to read any texts, discuss the problems
among themselves, or seek help from other professors in the department. Instead
of lectures, the classroom experience consisted of a student explaining his or
her proof at the board while other students asked questions. If the student got
stuck, or if a flaw was found in his or her proof, another student would take
his or her place at the board.

R. L. Moore's honors included: University Research Lecturer (1929);
National Academy of Sciences, member (1931); American Mathematical Society
(AMS), visiting lecturer (1931-1932), and president (1937-1938); American
Association for the Advancement of Science, vice president of mathematics
section (1947); and the title of Distinguished Professor at UT. He also served
as editor for both the Transactions of the American Mathematical Society and
the colloquium publications of the AMS.

Moore married Margaret MacLellan Key in 1910, and their marriage lasted
64 years, ending with his death. They had no children. Moore had many hobbies,
including target shooting, automobiles, boxing, and genealogy. He also had a
great interest in his health and even went so far as to prescribe his own
glasses for many years.

After his retirement, Moore was honored with the dedication, in 1972,
of Robert Lee Moore Hall, home of the physics, mathematics and astronomy
departments on the corner of Dean Keeton and Speedway on the UT campus. Moore
suffered a stroke in May of 1974, and a second stroke in June. He passed away
October 4, 1974.

The R. L. Moore Papers, 1875, 1891-1975, consist of correspondence,
research notebooks, drafts, teaching material, mathematical notes, printed
material, photographs and other material documenting the life and career of
Robert Lee Moore (1882-1974). The papers are divided into three series: (1)
professional, (2) personal, and (3) books, dissertations, journals and
offprints.

The majority of the collection pertains to Moore's professional career,
including sections on correspondence, mathematical works, teaching,
professional organizations and honorary societies, and general material.
Moore's professional correspondence provides a rich look into his work and the
work of his contemporaries. Correspondents include: R. C. Archibald, S.
Armentrout, J. and L. Barrett, E. F. Beckenbach, E. T. Bell, R. H. Bing, G. D.
and G. Birkhoff, G. A. Bliss, M. Bocher, E. W. Chittenden, L. E. Dickson, E.
Dyer, M. Frechet, G. B. Halsted, J. R. Kline, C. Kuratowski, S. Lefschetz, E.
H. Moore, R. G. D. Richardson, M. E. Rudin, W. Sierpinski, J. M. Slye, M.
Stone, O. Veblen, G. T. Whyburn, and R. L. Wilder. The section on mathematical
works includes published and unpublished works by Moore and others. It also
contains an extensive collection of Moore's notes and drafts. Insight into
Moore as a teacher can be gained from the "Teaching" sub-series. Administrative
correspondence and departmental business, as well as class records and notes
and correspondence about the 1967 film about Moore's teaching style, Challenge
in the Classroom, are included. Other sections of Moore's professional life,
including his presidency of the American Mathematical Society, and his
relationship with Professor George Bruce Halsted are also represented in this
series.

The personal series documents Moore's family life, hobbies, health, and
finances, and includes sub-series on: correspondence, family, education,
health, finances, genealogy, automobiles and motoring, rezoning, notes, printed
material, and photographs. Moore corresponded with many of his family members,
but the deepest correspondence was with his brother, Jennings Moore. In
general, only the letters received by Moore are present, although in some
cases, drafts or copies of Moore's letters are included in the collection.

The final series includes books, offprints, and journals from Moore's personal
library, as well as a set of dissertations from some of Moore’s and H. S. Wall's
graduate students. Moore’s books include mathematical works, as well as books
demonstrating his interest in other topics, including medicine, genealogy, boxing,
sexology, and literature. The journals include mathematical and scientific
journals, including many publications of the AMS, as well as other magazines and
newsletters. Offprints and dissertations are arranged alphabetically by the
author's last name.

Several appendices relating to this inventory are available. They include: a
cross-reference list to Moore's notebooks, a list of publications by Moore, Moore's graduate
students and their graduation dates, and the books available from Moore's library.
Please contact archivist to obtain copies of any of these appendices.

Many of Moore's students and colleagues also have collections with the
Archives of American Mathematics. In addition, please consult the
R. L. Moore Legacy Collection, a collection of oral histories, class notes and
reminiscences of Moore's students and colleagues, for other material relating
to R. L. Moore.

In the summer of 1974, at Mrs. R. L. Moore's request, Professor R. E.
Greenwood of the Department of Mathematics at The University of Texas at Austin
began moving papers and books from the Moore home at 904 West 23rd in Austin to
Professor Moore's offices in the R. L. Moore Hall on the UT campus. In the
spring of 1975, after Professor Greenwood completed the basic organization of
the papers, most of the collection was moved to the Harry Ransom Humanities
Research Center. There further processing was conducted by Dr. Albert C. Lewis,
curator of the History of Science collections. The sorting and analysis of
Moore's notebooks was completed by M. H. Proffitt of the University of Texas at
Austin in 1975. In 1984 the R. L. Moore Papers, along with the rest of the
Archives of American Mathematics, was moved to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
where Frederic Burchsted continued to care for the material. Reprocessing of
the R. L. Moore Papers by Kristy Sorensen began in March of 2003. The current
finding aid reflects the efforts of all these individuals.

R. L. Moore Papers, 1875, 1891-1975, Archives of American Mathematics,
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

Please note that consecutive box and folder numbers are written on the
folders in pencil. If you prefer to cite an exact box/folder number, you may
use these instead of the physical box number. A table converting consecutive
box numbers to physical box numbers is available upon request.

I. Professional:

Box

4RM72

A. Correspondence:

Sub-series abstract:

This section is organized into two sections: (1) By correspondent,
and (2) General. The "By correspondent" section is arranged alphabetically by
last name of the correspondent, and chronologically within the file. The
folders include letters to, by, and about the correspondent, with
cross-references indicated on yellow slips filed with the letters. The
"General" section contains letters filed chronologically, as well as
correspondence filed by subject. Cross-referencing was completed by Dr. Albert
Lewis at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center. The original arrangement
was developed by Dr. R. E. Greenwood. Dr. Greenwood's notes are included here
in brackets after the name of the correspondent. Graduation dates for Ph.D.
students were added to some notes for consistency.

Barrett, John Herbert and Lida (nee Kittrell), [John
was a Ph.D. student of Ettlinger, graduated 1951, Lida was a Ph.D. student with
RLM. After John graduated, they moved to Delaware and Lida completed her degree
under J. R. Kline at U. Penn in 1954],
1949-1961, 1975

This sub-series is divided into six parts: (1) Published papers,
(2) Unpublished papers, (3) Foundations of Point Set Theory, (4) Bibliographies
(5) Notes, and (6) Manuscripts by others. Published papers are divided into
working files and offprints, and are filed under their publication number,
listed in the bibliography in
appendix two. Working files include
correspondence, drafts, notes, and revisions related to the publication. Some
of the offprints are annotated. All other sections are arranged
chronologically, with the exception of "Manuscripts by others" which is first
arranged alphabetically by the author's last name (if known). This section
includes papers to be refereed, student papers, dissertation drafts, preprints,
and letters and notes about these papers. Note that additional copies of
Foundations of Point Set Theory can be found in the R. L. Moore Library (see
appendix 4, available upon request) and the R. L. Moore Legacy Collection.
Consult
appendix one for more information on
the notebooks in this section and possible cross-references.

Published:

Working files:

Publication number 2, ca. 1908

Publication number 3, notes removed from
offprint, ca. 1912

Publication number 4, April 14, 1911 and undated

Publication number 10, ca. 1930

Box

4RM99

Publication number 13, ca. 1919

Box

4RM56

Publication number 15, ca. 1919

Publication number 16, notes removed from offprint,
ca. 1919

Publication number 18, ca. 1920

Publication number 23, ca. 1922

Publication number 27, ca. 1923

Publication number 31, 1923

Publication number 32, ca. 1924

Publication number 35, ca. 1925

Publication number 38, ca. 1925

Box

4RM55c

Publication number 40, ca. 1926

Box

4RM56

Publication number 47, ca. 1928

Box

4RM55c

Oversized proof sheets, ca. 1928

Box

4RM56

Publication number 50, ca. 1929

Publication number 57, January 23, 1937

Publication number 58, incomplete, ca. 1939

Publication number 61-63, [bound together],
ca. 1942

Publication number 63, incomplete, ca.1942

Publication number 68, ca. 1953

Offprints:

Publications number 1-9, 1907-1916

Box

4RM57

Publication number 10, 1916

Publications number 11-23 [missing original offprint
of number 20, copy included for reference], 1917-1922

Publications number 24-39a, 1923-1926

Publications number 40-56, 1926-1936

Publications number 57-68, 1937-1953

Box

4RM57

Unpublished:

Box

4RM57

"Vector composition as 'applied to' a system of
coinitial vectors in three-dimensional Euclidean space," with letter from E. H.
Moore, March 1, 1906 and undated

"Postulates for positive integers," with letter from
Veblen, April 1, 1906 and undated

Box

4RM93

Fragment on the creation of a new theory, ca. 1908-1911

Box

4RM57

"Concerning so-called non-metrical analysis
situs," ca. 1912

Handwritten problems, December 2-27, 1915

On the definition of a simple closed surface, with
correspondence with J. R. Kline, 1919

"Continuous curves from the stand-point of analysis
situs," [may have been published in the Bulletin of the AMS, volume 28,
November 1922], ca. 1922

Includes notes on spirals and empty envelope
labeled, "Crowbar theorem and other things," 1930-1950 and undated

1939-1940

"Pile A," divided into sections numbered one through
three from top to bottom as found, 1939-1950 and undated

Box

4RM55c

Oversized notes from section three, ca. 1950 and undated

Box

4RM63

"Found in this order," ca. 1937-1940, 1960 and undated

Box

4RM55c

Oversized notes, ca. 1937 and undated

Box

4RM64

1945 and undated

Box

4RM55c

Oversized mathematical drawings and notes, written
on backs of printed University examination schedules, ca. 1949-1957

Box

4RM64

ca. 1956-1958 and undated

Box

4RM55c

Oversized notes, ca. 1956-1658 and undated

Box

4RM64

1958

1958 and undated

Box

4RM55b

Oversized notes, ca. 1958

Box

4RM99

[includes sketches of faces], undated

Undated

Box

4RM64

Including, "Axiom or theorem. If M is a compact
continuum every domain that contains M …," undated

Box

4RM55c

Oversized notes, undated

Box

4RM64

Notebooks:

Number one, "Suppose axioms 0 and 1 hold true…,"
some axioms of congruence with axioms 0 and 1 and a question concerning these
axioms, the "long line," axioms 0 and 1 and fully normal, collections of pairs
of points filling up an interval, December 25, 1962 and undated

Number four, cover - "Concerning windings," with
offprint of "Spirals in the plane" [publication number 68], 1953 and undated

Number 37, "For every positive number…,"
miscellaneous mathematical notes from the 1960s, notes on a
Wall Street Journal article by
J. K. Galbraith on the value of committees in business, draft of letter [?],
ca. 1960s

Number 38, "Suppose - December 27, 1912," notes on
axioms for geometry, Veblen's axioms, conjectures and questions from July 6,
1924-March 5, 1927, record up to 1928 of people to whom offprints by RLM were
sent, 1912, 1924-1928 and undated

Number 39, "By moving the minute hand forward…," on
setting a chime clock, corrections for papers, upper semi-continuous
collections, note on the high point problem of the calculus, miscellaneous
mathematical notes, undated

Number 41, "Suppose G is an uncountable
collection…," "Concerning question raised by Miss Stevenson," notes on
undergraduate classes, some notes on the last pages about indecomposable
continua, undated

Number 42, "Axiom 1. P0 There exists a sequence…,"
theorems on conditions sufficient for a Moore space to be compact, undated

Number 44, cover - "9," "Does there exist a bounded,
closed…," questions from the 1920s [apparently copied from other notes],
theorems on Axioms 0 and 1, [loose pages], 1958 and undated

Number 91, [1940 daily desk calendar], on
homogeneous spaces; questions on Axioms 4 and 5, on sufficient conditions for a
space to be metric, and on spirals; questions and theorems on continua and
collections of continua like webs, [loose sheets], October 11, 1940-May 18, 1948, June 21,
1959

Number 92, [1941 daily desk calendar], two pages of
notes, October 12, 1951 and January 2, 1955

Number 114, "If in a space of two dimensions…,"
theorems and questions on indecomposable continua and on connected sets
(continua, upper semi-continuous collections, continuous curves), [loose
sheets], September 1925-April 13, 1926 and undated

Number 115, "Concerning Miss Stevenson's argument
for 55," notes from the late 1960s, includes list of faculty at other
institutions, [loose sheets], 1940, 1947, ca. 1960s

Number 117, cover - "Bottles. Continua stuck in
other continua, etc.," one side of notebook contains copies (from manuscript
for
Foundations of Point Set
Theory?) of notes on results of students concerning
FPST, other side has notes on bottles and
collections of mutually exclusive continua, ca. 1960s and undated

"Summary of my paper on generalisation [sp] of
Cleveland's Theorem," typescript with handwritten note, "Sent to the American
Journal," undated

"Certain theorems will be proved about a property…,"
undated

"Theorem: If M is a point-set lying on interval
AB…," undated

"Proposition 10. For if h1, h2, h3, …," undated

"Corollary B. If R is a region containing the point
P…," undated

"Theorem: If N is a nondegenerate decomposable
compact continuum…," undated

Box

4RM99

"Hypothetical Syllogisms," undated

Box

4RM93

C. Teaching:

Sub-series Abstract:

This sub-series is divided into four sections: (1) The University
of Texas at Austin, (2) Challenge in the
Classroom, (3) Class records, and (4) Other teaching positions. All
files are arranged chronologically. Student grade information is restricted 80
years after the date of creation according to the policy of the Center for
American History. Please see
appendix one for more information on
the notebooks in this section and possible cross-references.

Number 16, "Is it true that if there is a
reversibly continuous…," questions dated August 26, 1967, December 14, 1940 and
February 9, 1968, the last one raised by Mr. Mauldin, list of RLM Ph.D.
students as of 1967, calculus class notes and list of faculty members [on loose
sheet], notes apparently on an advanced class, notes re RLM's retirement,
1940, 1967-1968 and undated

Catalogues from University of Chicago, Princeton,
University of Tennessee, 1904-1907, 1922 and undated

Offers:

University of Pennsylvania, July 6, 1911

Box

4RM100

University of Minnesota, 1919

Box

4RM93

University of Illinois, 1920-1931

University of North Carolina, Chapel
Hill, 1920-1922 and undated

Ohio State, 1920-1924

University of Oklahoma, 1920

University of Houston, January 29, 1969

Box

4RM92

D. Professional organizations and honorary societies:

Sub-series Abstract:

This sub-series is arranged alphabetically by the name of the
professional organization or honorary society. In the case of the National
Academy of Sciences (NAS), election materials that disclose the names of
nominees have been returned to the Academy. See correspondence between Albert
C. Lewis and A. V. Astin (March-July 1975) in the HRC series of the R. L. Moore
Legacy Collection for documentation of this decision. The sorting of restricted
and open material was done by Dr. R. H. Bing, a member of the NAS. In cases
where RLM made lists of nominees' names on the verso of letters, the front of
the letter was photocopied and included in the collection.

"Visiting lectureship correspondence and other
things," 1929-1933 and undated

"Visiting lectureship," 1930-1932 and undated

"Concerning tour as visiting lecturer of the
society," 1932 and undated

Semi-centennial celebration:

General, 1937-1939

box

4RM55c

Oversized page proofs, ca. 1938

Box

3T401d

Panoramic photograph, Semicentennial celebration of
the American Mathematical Society, New York City, September 6-9, 1938

Box

4RM100

Combined membership list, 1974-1975

Box

4RM80

Letterhead, blank, lists RLM as president,
undated

Mathematical Association of America (MAA), 1956-1970

National Academy of Science (NAS):

Correspondence and printed material:

General, ca. 1931-1972 and undated

Election related, 1930-ca. 1970

Cover letters of ballots to which Moore responded,
1931-1962

Cover letters of ballots to which Moore did not
respond, 1934, 1963-1971

Box

4RM92

Schockley and genetic quality of the races,
1941, 1951, 1961-1971 and undated

Box

4RM80

Facsimile of the original National Academy of Sciences
signature book, 1952

News Report newsletters,
annotated, 1966-1971

Box

4RM92

Sonic booms, 1968

Box

4RM100

National Research Council, 1930

Box

4RM92

Phi Kappa Phi, 1960-1963

Box

4RM80

Sigma Xi, 1904-1908, 1944-1945

Box

4RM55c

Oversized diploma of membership, 1908

Box

4RM90

E. General

Sub-series Abstract:

The General sub-series has been divided into five sections, (1)
George Bruce Halsted, (2) Notebooks, (3) Clippings and Quotes, (4) Material
removed from books and (5) Envelopes. George Bruce Halsted was Moore's
professor as an undergraduate at The University of Texas at Austin and was one
of his earliest mathematical mentors. Also see the professional correspondence
section for more correspondence by and about Halsted. Categories in the
"Clippings and Quotes" section were primarily created by Dr. R. E.
Greenwood.

George Bruce Halsted:

Correspondence by or about Halsted, [Henry S. Tropp],
1907, 1970

Box

4RM26

Photograph of Halsted, black and white, 4" X 5",
undated

Box

4RM90

Printed material about Halsted:

Miscellaneous, ca. 1901-1918 and undated

"Halsted's Rational Geometry," by S. C.
Davisson, January 1905

Part of Sommerville's bibliography of Halsted's
writings on geometry, undated

Moore's notes on Halsted, undated

Writings by Halsted:

"Washington, the Ideal of the South, Resurgent in
Lee and Ross," February 21, 1899

Number 89, [spiral notepad], "Suppose every point of S
is a cut point of S…," mathematical notes, financial notes on income tax,
health notes, zoning notes, draft letter to Mr. Erwin on dedication of R. L.
Moore Hall, ca. 1970s

II. Personal:

Box

4RM93

A. Correspondence

Sub-series Abstract:

This sub-series primarily consists of Moore's correspondence with
his family. In general, only letters received by Moore are present, although
sometimes drafts or copies of letters he sent out are included. An exception is
Moore's letters to his father, which were returned to him after his father's
death. The material is arranged chronologically.

Photos of RLM as a young child [2.5"X4" black and
white, two photos], undated

Box

4RM93

Special subjects:

Boxing [also includes clippings], 1937 and undated

Ordering high-top shoes, 1955-1965

Political letters [includes printed material],
1960 and undated

Box

4RM101

B. Family

Sub-series Abstract:

This "catch-all" sub-series includes material related to Moore and
his family that did not readily fit into any other categories. Materials
relating to Moore's funeral and his wife, Margaret Key Moore, make up the
majority of the sub-series.

Christmas card given to Robert and Margaret Moore,
[found in 1906 University of Tennessee yearbook--see "Printed Material"
sub-series]
1919

Box

4RM93

C. Education

Sub-series Abstract:

This section includes Moore's work as a student at The University
of Texas at Austin and the University of Chicago, as well as grade reports and
catalogues from UT. Also see "Sub-series I: Notes" for Moore's class notes
during his student career.

The "Health" sub-series includes records relating to the health of
Moore and his wife, as well as extensive notes and printed material documenting
both Moore's research on health-related topics and journal entries in which he
describes his own health.

Anthropometric chart of RLM at age 16 and "Princeton
Measurements" of RLM, [1898], 1908

This sub-series consists of Moore's notes, correspondence and
printed material relating to his research in genealogy. It is arranged by
family name, when available. Folder titles were most likely developed by Dr. R.
E. Greenwood.

Invoices, orders, etc., 1945-1963 and undated

Goodspeed's Bookshop, 1948-1959 and undated

Letters from RLM to brother Jennings re family
genealogy, 1949 and undated

Box

4RM104

Alfred the Great and other kings, 1948-1949 and undated

Correspondence between Francis B. Trowbridge and C. B.
Spofford re the Ashley genealogy [unknown how RLM got this material],
July 1895 and undated

III. Books, dissertations, journals, and
offprints:

Series Abstract:

The material in this series is stored offsite at the Collections Deposit Library.
Contact reference staff for retrieval. This series includes books, offprints, and
journals from Moore's personal library, as well as a set of dissertations from
some of Moore’s and Wall's graduate students. Moore’s books include mathematical
works, as well as books demonstrating his interest in other topics, including
medicine, genealogy, boxing, sexology, and literature. Dissertations can be
requested by title and author. The journals include mathematical and scientific
journals, including many publications of the AMS, as well as other magazines and
newsletters. Offprints are arranged alphabetically by the author's last name.

Box

CDL

Books, mathematics and non-mathematics:

Contact archivist for a complete list of the books included in the R. L. Moore library.

Box

AAM-RLM/57

Dissertations:

Note:

R.L. Moore was the primary advisor for student's Ph.D. thesis
except when noted otherwise. When H. S. Wall was the advisor, Moore was a
member of the dissertation committee.